Personal questions are often rooted in a desire to connect on an intimate level, especially when asked by women who are moms themselves. They can also be a benign attempt to break the ice by acquaintances or strangers who falsely perceive a woman’s expecting body — a physical manifestation of a life stage — as an invitation to discussion.

“Pregnancy signals fertility and sexuality so it can create a sense of intimacy where none may exist,” Gail Saltz, MD, a psychiatrist and author of The Power of Different, tells Yahoo Beauty. “And since people naturally assume pregnancy is a happy event for all, many don’t hesitate to comment.”

While the question “Are you having a boy or a girl?” may seem harmless, for women grappling with gender disappointment — a common phenomenon in which women experience negative emotions while expecting a baby of a particular sex — it can create pressure to outwardly contend with a very private issue.

And for women who don’t subscribe to gender stereotypes, questions about a baby’s sex could spark unwanted assumptions about their unborn child. “Gender is a topic of fascination for many who believe that knowing a person’s sex will reveal everything else about their lives — will they be a baseball player or ballerina? — however, sex doesn’t necessarily dictate gender,” Christia Brown, a professor of developmental psychology and author of Parenting Beyond Pink and Blue, tells Yahoo Beauty.

Likewise, asking a woman for her due date can pave the way for questions about her growing body, which she may not be comfortable with, especially if she’s feeling self-conscious about her appearance.

“Most questions do come from a happy, supportive place,” says Saltz, “so if pregnant women take offense, they can either choose not to answer or recognize that people around them are doing the best they can.”